
BX 




Class jg£5S^5" 
Rnnlc .HJtZCta 

Copyright^? 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



A FEW MEMORIES OF 

^tiltam &eeti Huntington 



BY HIS SISTER 
MARY HUNTINGTON COOKE 



* 



PRIVATELY PRINTED 

AT THE RIVERSIDE PRESS, CAMBRIDGE 

I910 



* 6 S 



COPYRIGHT, 191 0, BY MARY HUNTINGTON COOKE 



£OLA280013 



He studies best whose manhood longest 
keeps 

The passionate thrill that in the boy's blood 
leaps ; 

Eyes that look out, unconscious of their 
glow, 

Shy to be known, shall soonest all things 
know ; 

Into the ear that listens and is taught, 

Shall come the music of God's whispered 
thought, 

And him the beatific visions bless 

Whose lips the hunger and the thirst con- 
fess. 

W. R. H. 




a f eto jttemorieg of 
William JKeeD f uutington 

y first recollection of 
my brother is of a 
very pretty and hap- 
py little boy, whom 
every one seemed to 
love, full of interest in all living 
things. He had, like all children, 
pets of all kinds. The first ones 
he had were turtles, to which he 
devoted a great deal of his spare 
time, and found them very inter- 
esting. Then came rabbits, which 
were most tenderly cared for. He 
developed very early a taste for 
5 



a jpeto 0?emorie£ of 

fishing, which he did not lose as 
he grew older ; for even as late as 
1 90 1, when he was in California 
attending the Convention, he was 
delighted to go, at the close of the 
sessions, to Catalina Island, and 
catch some of the famous big fish 
there, in company with the Rev. 
Dr. Manning. I remember that as 
a little boy the gift of a real fish 
basket gave him unutterable pleas- 
ure, and he used to go to the Con- 
cord River, which was not far from 
our house, where a friend's garden 
extended to the bank, fenced along 
the river for safety. And there he 
would stand for hours, his patience 
seeming never exhausted. When 
he came home his mother would 
6 



£?iittam Hieeii i^untmston 

say: "What luck, Willy ? Did you 
catch anything ?" And he would 
reply: "No, mother, not to-day, 
but I had two bites and a nibble/' 
And he would start again the next 
day with renewed zeal, and per- 
fect hope of success, in spite of his 
disappointment. This quality of 
perseverance he retained through 
life. He was about eight years old 
at this time. 

In his early childhood our ma- 
ternal grandmother came to live 
with us. She was a saintly woman 
and had a most gentle and loving 
spirit. She exercised a great influ- 
ence over Willy from his earliest 
days, and he certainly was a child 
of her prayers. Her love for him 
7 



& f eto ft?emorieg of 

was unbounded. I cannot but feel 
that some of her gentleness of 
spirit was transmitted to him. And 
in her last illness, which was after 
William had gone away to school, 
she had his portrait placed at the 
foot of her bed, where she could 
see it constantly. It was brought 
from the studio, where it had just 
been finished, and this is the por- 
trait which now hangs in the Choir 
House at Grace Church. 

Our home lay not far from the 
Middlesex Mills, in the days when 
the factory girls were of a very 
good class. And as Willy stood at 
the gate as a little child, dressed in 
his pretty light frock, I have often 
seen them stop and say what a 
8 



William Eeefc ^untinston 

pretty child he was, and ask if they 
might kiss him. 

There were some very rough 
older boys who lived in the neigh- 
borhood, who used to tease him. 
But his mother had taught him that 
he must not fight under any circum - 
stances. And one day when they 
were teasing him he was heard to 
say : " If you don't stop I shall ask 
my father to give you some very 
bitter medicine." 

He was indebted for many of his 
sterling qualities to his father, who 
possessed the same trait of popular- 
ity, without self-seeking or self-con- 
sciousness, which was so prominent 
in his son. Dr. Elisha Huntington 
came to Lowell when it was a very 
9 



& f eto ^emorxeg of 

small town, about the year 1826. 
He was a young physician fresh 
from the Yale Medical School, and 
began practice at once. One of the 
first evidences of his unselfishness, 
which was one of his main charac- 
teristics, was in the very early days 
of his residence there. A stranger 
was attacked with virulent small- 
pox, and as there was no provision 
in Lowell for such a case, he placed 
him in a deserted house on the out- 
skirts of the town. No one was 
willing to go to the sick man, in 
dread of the disease. Dr. Hunting- 
ton at once offered his services and 
quarantined himself, sharing the 
man's solitude, and caring for him 
throughout his sickness. 
10 



William fteefc Huntington 

His medical services were always 
very welcome, and he was always 
ready to give to the poor and afflicted, 
being singularly indifferent to any 
compensation for his services ; and 
by his generosity and kindness he 
won Saint Luke's name of "The 
Beloved Physician. " He was also 
President of the Massachusetts 
Medical Society. 

At the time of his death the 
whole city was in mourning. 

He rendered great service to 
Lowell, after it became a city, by 
serving several terms as mayor, in 
spite of the encroachment upon 
his medical work. He gave the city 
the best of his powers. Whenever 
it was rent and disturbed by politi- 
ii 



& f eto apemorieg of 

cal troubles, the people always 
turned to him as a last resort. He 
never lost his election but once, 
when the " Know-Nothings" got 
control of the city. He served as 
Lieutenant-Governor of Massa- 
chusetts with Governor Clifford, 
and was very much interested in the 
State Prison work. Those were 
the days before the Associated 
Charities and the new views of polit- 
ical economy, and the only thing 
brought up against him by his 
enemies when he was a candidate 
for mayor, was that he was too 
good to the poor. Owing to his 
life of charity and sacrifice, he 
died a poor man leaving behind 
him a blessed memory. 
12 



William UeeD ^untinffton 

Willy was very fond of horses, 
and occasionally a friend lent him 
a small pony, so small that several 
times, when it stopped very sud- 
denly with the peaceful intent of 
eating grass by the road side, he 
would fall over its head without 
danger of injury. He never was 
discouraged, but always mounted 
again, He was very friendly with 
his young companions, and always 
showed the sweet temper which 
was his characteristic. Athletics 
were not as prominent in a boy's 
life in those days as they are now, 
but he was always interested in boys' 
sports, such as playing ball. 

When he was about eleven years 
old some one gave him a fire engine, 
l 3 



a f eto ^emorieg of 

a perfect model, of a good size, of 
the old tub engine of the day. It 
was christened " Neptune," and 
the motto on the standard at the 
side was, "Douse the glim. " They 
organized a fire company anddrilled, 
and enjoyed making trips to imagi- 
nary fires. The engine was painted 
red with gold trimmings by his sis- 
ter and a young fellow artist, and 
the company was very proud of its 
machine. 

A very strong trait of his as a 
child was an intense love of read- 
ing. At one time "The Arabian 
Nights" was his constant compan- 
ion. Fairy tales and all imaginative 
stories were his delight. We did not 
associate a love of poetry with him 
14 



William JSeefc i^untittcton 

at that time, although later it be- 
came one of the great inspirations 
of his life. He very early developed 
a great interest in chemistry, and he 
was constantly engaged in making 
experiments of various kinds, and 
trying to manufacture things. He 
spent his money in buying simple 
apparatus for experiments. His little 
store of Hessian crucibles was his 
great pride. He had sent abroad 
for them. 

Sometimes he had an intimate 
friend who was associated with him 
in these undertakings. They made 
indelible ink, which always washed 
out, and poor cologne which the 
family were obliged to buy to en- 
courage them. 



& jf eto a^emorieg of 

Willy was considered rather small 
for his age, and it was thought 
best to try to develop his physi- 
cal strength. When he was about 
twelve years old he was sent to a 
military school at Norwich, Ver- 
mont. He was in the same class with 
Admiral Dewey. His experiences 
in Norwich were decidedly rough, 
and he always said he saw more 
wickedness there in the country, 
than in all his life at Cambridge. 
But he seemed strong to resist temp- 
tation there, and came back stron- 
ger and better for his new experi- 
ence of life. 

I think his first essay in poetry, 
or rhyme one might call it, was 
made while he was at this school. 

n 



William iSeeti Huntington 

It was on the occasion of a military- 
walking and camping trip, made 
from Norwich to Ticonderoga,and 
in it were chronicled the experi- 
ences of the days, which he made 
very amusing. 

After William's return from the 
military school, he stayed at home 
under the instruction of a tutor, 
and also was fitted for College at 
a private school in Lowell. His 
lessons never seemed to be any 
trouble to him, and his life was 
quiet and uneventful. 

In his Freshman year at Harvard 
a close friendship began between 
him and my husband, Professor 
Cooke, which was only strength- 
ened by the tie which bound him 

n 



& jpeto ^emorieg of 

later as a brother-in-law. I have 
often heard him tell how in his lec- 
ture to the Freshmen he saw in one 
of the front seats the eager and 
earnest face of a young man who 
attracted him wonderfully ; and he 
at once tried to find out his identity. 
They became immediately great 
friends, and continued so to the 
end. 

Mr. Cooke was one of the first 
professors to take a vital interest in 
the students in a social way, and as 
he was then keeping bachelor's hall 
in Harvard Square, he sought to 
have personal intercourse with 
them, and in many cases was drawn 
into great intimacy. In the class of 
1859 there were some very charm- 
18 



William iSeeti Jpuntmston 

ing young men, and there were six 
or eight of them who always took 
tea with him Sunday evening for 
two or three years. They read and 
discussed different subjects, and the 
evening always ended with prayers, 
which were chosen from the family 
prayers in the Prayer Book. They 
often used to speak of these delight- 
ful evenings spent together, pre- 
ceded by a hearty supper of good 
things. 

My husband entered into closer 
relations with William than with 
any other man of the class, and for 
several summers took him on long 
walking trips through Nova Scotia 
and New Brunswick. He also gave 
William his first view of the moun- 
19 



& f eto &?emorie£ of 

tains of Mt. Desert, and the follow- 
ing beautiful sonnets " From Green 
Mountain' ' were called forth by 
memories of this happy journey : — 



FROM GREEN MOUNTAIN 



Two seas our eyes beheld, one dark, 

one light ; 
And one above the other; for a screen 
Of billowy cloud lay, level-poised, 

between 
Ocean and sky, in undulation white 
As snow of Zembla. Half-way up the 

height 
That caps Mount Desert, spell-bound 

by the scene, 
We stood and marvelled. Had there 

ever been, 

20 



William fteefc i^untinffton 

Since Israel's pilgrim march, so weird 

a sight? 
Meanwhile the sailors, beating to and 

fro 
On shadowed waters, dreamed not of 

the still, 
Pellucid beauty of that upper day ; 
Their captive eyes saw only from below, 
While we, from our sheer lookout on 

the hill, 
Scanned either level, happier-placed 

than they. 



Brief our advantage ; presently the sun, 
Nearing the noon-mark, gathered all 

his might, 
And smote those vapors till they broke 

in flight; 
Not hastily (for panic there was none), 
But with slow movement eastward, one 

by one, 

21 



a jf eto a^emorieg of 

The cloud battalions drifted from our 

sight, 
Till everywhere, from verge to verge, 

was light ; 
And those below saw clear, as we had 

done. 
God shows enfranchised spirits, such as 

thine, 
Dear friend, dear brother, who beside 

me stood 
That morning on the mount, both sides 

of things : 
The dim, the bright; the earthly, the 

divine. 
Spirits in shadows see but one. Oh, 

would 
The days were born of which the Sibyl 

sings ! 

He still indulged in his taste for 
fishing when he had an opportu- 

11 



William fieeti Huntington 

nity, and I have often heard him 
tell how, on their trips through 
New Brunswick, they stopped to 
catch salmon, and hired a horse and 
wagon to carry the salmon from 
place to place, to provide some- 
thing eatable, as their food was 
of the most primitive description 
and scant at that. 

Mr. Cooke was in the habit, at 
that time, of giving experimental 
popular lectures in several large 
cities. William went as his assist- 
ant, and these trips fostered his love 
of science, which was always very 
strong. Thus he saw, under very 
pleasant auspices, Baltimore and 
Washington, and other places of 
interest. 

23 



& f eto a^emorieg of 

During William's preparation 
for college at the Lowell School, 
it was taken for granted that he 
should go to Hanover and attend 
Dartmouth College, as our father 
was a graduate of that institution, 
and Harvard, on account of the 
expense, seemed quite out of the 
question. Mrs. Huntington, our 
mother, was a woman of great force 
of character, and exercised a very 
strong influence over her son, by 
whom she was always dearly loved. 
She was a delicately organized wo- 
man and never had strong health, 
but her mind always rose superior 
to her body, and "the wakeful 
demon," as she called it, was never 
allowed to shadow the sunshine of 
24 



^ttliam fteeti ^unttngton 

her nature. She seemed not only 
to have "songs in the night," but 
also visions. And she would then 
think over the knotty problems 
which sometimes confronted her 
in the daytime. 

As the days drew near for the 
examinations at Dartmouth she 
surprised us one morning at the 
breakfast table by announcing that 
William was not going to Dart- 
mouth, but that he was going to 
Harvard. There was a chorus of 
" What do you mean ? " and " How 
can it be done?" She replied: "I 
do not know, but wait and the way 
will be opened." In a few days 
she received a letter from Wil- 
liam's older brother Francis, who 
2 5 



a f eto a^emorieg of 

was a young merchant in New 
York. He had gone to New York 
alone at the age of seventeen, hav- 
ing been obliged to give up college 
on account of the weakness of his 
eyes. He said that he was now in 
a position which would allow him to 
have the pleasure of educating Wil- 
liam at Harvard, and he should be 
glad to assume all the expense of his 
course. So this little incident in- 
fluenced the whole course of his 
life, as everything seemed to hinge 
on this change of surroundings. 
His brother Frank took the most 
intense interest in William's col- 
lege career, and at his gradua- 
tion, when he was elected class 
poet, and made so deep an impres- 
26 



sion on his audience, Frank's satis- 
faction was complete. The bond 
between the brothers was very- 
strong, as is shown by the fact that 
William named his son for him, 
Francis Cleaveland. 

His early days at Harvard were 
comparatively uneventful, but he 
was always in demand for a bright 
little speech, or for a few verses at 
a dinner, and had that gift of quick 
repartee which always distinguished 
him. His wit was at all times pure, 
and some of his college songs were 
quite irresistible. The following 
songs appeared in the " Harvard 
Magazine "for July, 1858, written 
to commemorate the victory, in 
the 1858 Fourth of July regatta, 

2J 



& f eto £®tmmt# of 

of the " Fops " of Harvard over 
the " Fort Hill Boy " crew. The 
first was supposed to have been 
sung before, and the second after 
the race. 

FIRST SONG— MICHAEL TO PATRICK 
(Air, Paddy O'Rafferty) 

Arrah, me Patsy ! jist look at the Col- 
lege boat : 

Niver afore did ye see so much know- 
ledge float. 

Shure it 's a shame that their arms is n't 
bigger now, 

For it is muscle, not brains, that will 
figure now. 

Chorus 
O ye b'ys, ye fops, ye lady pets, 
Twinty to wan, and our word that we 
pay the bets. 
28 



William illeeD Huntington 

Only step here and obsarve the dhroll 

make of her. 
Shavin's and wire is the notion ye take 

of her. 
Round as a pratie, and sharp as a pick, 

is she, 
But niver a match in a race for the 

Mickies she. 

Chorus 

O ye b'ys, ye fops, ye lady pets, 
Twinty to wan, and our word that we 
pay the bets. 

Twig the spoon oars what they pull her, 

me jewel, with ! 
Why don't they keep them to ate their 

oat gruel with? 
Wooden spoons shure is no sign of 

good luck at all ; 
Silver we'll have, when the prize we 

have took it all. 
29 



a ftto a?emorieg of 

Chorus 

O ye b'ys, ye fops, ye lady pets, 
Twinty to wan, and our word that we 
pay the bets. 

SECOND SONG— PATRICK TO 
MICHAEL 

(Air, Lillibullero) 

Look! look! will ye, Mike, 

Ye ne'er saw the like : 
These childer have waxed us through 
and through. 

The studints is here, 

But, bad 'cess ! it is clear 
We '11 wait awhile now for thelrish crew. 

Chorus 

Har-r-vard ! Har-r-vard ! O ye spal- 
peens ! 

Have n't ye scattered my wages like 
smoke ? 

30 



William 1&ttb $untin0ton 

I can't pay a quarter 
The bets that I oughter. 
Divil fly oiFwid yer wondherful stroke. 



Jist hark to the yells 
Of thim Beacon Street swells, 
And see, over yonder, the cambric 
wave ; 
While Micky there stands, 
A-wringin' his hands, 
And Biddy is wipin' her eyes on her 
slave. 

Chorus 

Har-r-vard ! Har-r-vard ! O ye spal- 
peens ! 
Have n't ye scattered my wages like 
smoke ? 
I can't pay a quarter 
The bets that I oughter. 
Divil fly off wid yer wondherful stroke. 

3 1 



& f eto a£emorieg of 

Let 's scuttle our boats : 
Nary one of them floats 
But looks kind o' shamed about the 
bows ; 
And oh ! may the crews 
In future refuse 
To meddle with race boats, and stick to 
their scows. 

Chorus 

Har-r-vard ! Har-r-vard ! O ye spal- 
peens ! 
Have n't ye scattered my wages like 
smoke ? 
I can't pay a quarter 
The bets that I oughter. 
Divil fly off wid yer wondherful stroke. 

"The Harvard Monthly/' in 
which he was interested as a con- 
tributor and part editor, we con- 
sidered the most brilliant maga- 
32 



William fteeti ^imtnt0ton 

zine that had ever been issued. 
And indeed some of the contribu- 
tions were exceedingly creditable, 
and are well worth reading at this 
late date. 

He was always a faithful attendant 
at Christ Church, Cambridge, and 
as it has been sometimes stated that 
he was a Unitarian while he was 
in college, it may be well to make 
a plain statement of fact. I think 
it was in his sophomore year that 
the Rector of Christ Church was 
obliged to leave on account of his 
health, and the pulpit was filled 
by a man who had no gift of in- 
teresting the young; while, at the 
College Chapel, the Rev. F. D. 
Huntington was interesting the stu- 
33 



a f eto &?emorieg of 

dents and others with his inspiring 
preaching. And although the Uni- 
tarian congregation did not realize 
it, he was really preaching orthodox 
sermons. After hearing him sev- 
eral times William felt that he 
must have the inspiration that Dr. 
Huntington gave, but was quite 
unwilling to leave his own Church 
in which he had been brought up. 
He went, as he often did, to his 
mother for her counsel and advice, 
and after listening to his longings 
and desires, she counseled him with 
the breadth she alwavs showed, and 
advised him to go where he could 
get what would most upbuild his 
character and satisfy his spiritual 
longings. 

34 



^iHiam Jleefc Huntington 

William did not consider that it 
meant renouncing in any way his 
Church affiliations after he should 
have, left college. The five young 
men with whom he had been 
associated in Mr. Cooke's Sunday 
evening readings wanted to join 
the College Chapel. This was an 
almost unheard-of thing for a stu- 
dent to do, and one may be sure 
that Dr. Huntington was intensely 
interested in this movement, and 
made of their coming a most solemn 
occasion. The Covenant to which 
they subscribed was not Unitarian 
in its nature. 

It was about this time that Dr. 
F. D. Huntington made his public 
avowal of his change of faith, and 
35 



& f eto a?emorieg of 

was confirmed at Christ Church in 
Cambridge, with several members 
of his family. 

William was very much exer- 
cised as to what occupation he 
should enter on graduation. His 
mind was not at first inclined to 
enter the Church, as he loved sci- 
ence very dearly, and more so as 
time went on. But Mr. Cooke, 
devoted as he was to science, put 
all his influence on the side of the 
Church. And after the death of 
William's mother, which occurred 
soon after his graduation, Wil- 
liam's mind never wavered from 
the idea of devoting himself to a 
religious life. 

This idea is best expressed by his 

36 



William Heeti Huntington 

lines, "Before Ordination, " pub- 
lished later : — 

Thou callest, Lord, I hear Thy voice 
And so in meekness come. 

I falter, but not mine the choice. 
Thou callest. I am dumb. 

I only listen. I am least 

Of all, and yet I know 
Thou callest me to be Thy priest. 

I argue not. I go. 

All through the past Thy hand hath led ; 

Grant me this day to feel 
That hand in blessing on my head, 

As at Thy feet I kneel. 

The years await me. What they hold 
Thou knowest, Lord, not I. 

On every side the cloud-banks fold 
The edges of my sky. 
37 



William Mttb Huntington 

But still within my ears there rings 
One voice and only one, — 

All courage to my heart it brings, — 
Thy will, my God, be done. 

He determined to begin his 
studies for the ministry as soon as 
possible. 

2F tfjanft mp «Bo& upon eberp 

remem&rance 

of pou 



31 19! 9 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: March 2006 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION. 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
1 724) 779-2111 






One copy del. to Cat. Div. 
N U 1911 



